Paperboys
by jojobear
Summary: A timewarp of "Newsies." What if instead of a group of newsboys going on strike in 1899, it was a group of paperboys (sick of being chased by dogs and being paid less than minimum wage) who went on strike in 2003? (Please R/R).


~ PAPERBOYS ~  
A little time travel…what if instead of a bunch of newsboys striking in 1899, it were a bunch of paperboys, sick of getting paid less than minimum wage and being chased by unfriendly dogs that went on strike in the summer of 2003?  
  
PLEASE NOTE THAT:  
1) This story was started rather late at night on a Saturday after an exhausting day of excursions. Thus, it might (probably will) come off as odd.  
  
2) Yeah yeah I know there are plenty of cross-overs from my other stories, mostly "Behind the Scenes." What can I say? I wasn't going to use the characters anyway, why bother sticking different names on?  
  
3) And yes I have altered most of the newsies' names. (Come on! What person in their right mind these days goes by Racetrack or Kid Blink?)  
  
~ THE NEW KID ~ (Jack/Kyle)  
The bell rang, signaling lunch. Despite the fact that the teacher was in mid-lecture, all the students in the room packed up their things and left as quickly as they could. Seventeen-year-old Jack Kelly was among those that had exited in haste. Jack despised his government class with all his heart. It wasn't so much the class that he couldn't stand, but more the teacher. Dull Mr. Rubin always had the same lesson plan; standing up and lecturing with transparent overheads. The lesson plan never failed to make students fall asleep.  
  
Jack rounded the corner and came to the locker that he shared with his friend, Sloan Harper. Sloan was already there, she was talking to a gorgeous girl that Jack had never seen before. "Hey Sloan, who's your friend?" Jack approached, careful not to look too eager.  
  
"Hey Jack, this is Sarah, she just moved here from Ohio." Sloan nodded.  
  
"Ohio eh?" Jack raised his eyebrows. He couldn't really remember anything about Ohio, except that it was the name of a state somewhere in the United States. "So do you like life in Eastward so far?" Jack resided in Eastward, New York, one of the many suburbs near New York City.  
  
"It's nice, I'm sure I'll like it as much as I liked Cincinnati." Sarah smiled, and Jack KNEW that this was the greatest-looking girl he'd ever seen.  
  
"Dude, how come you never wait for me?" Jack felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his friend Spencer Worthen (who people sometimes called Four-Eyes because of his glasses). Spencer was in the same government class as Jack, but the two never exited the class at the same time, due to the fact that Spencer actually LIKED Mr. Rubin's lectures. "How many times have I told you that it's a good idea to stay and listen to Rubin even after the bell rings?"  
  
"Too many." Jack responded quickly; he didn't want to seem like a geek in front of Sarah by sounding considerate.  
  
"So, where are we going for lunch today?" Sloan asked as she placed her books in the locker.  
  
"How about Subway's? I got really hungry for a meatball and cheese sandwich during class." Spencer said, licking his lips.  
  
"Sounds good to me." Jack nodded. "Do you wanna come to lunch with us, Sarah?"  
  
"Um…" Sarah looked uncertain.  
  
"I'll lend you money, if you need it." Sloan offered.  
  
"It's not that," Sarah shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'd really love to come to lunch with you, but I told my brother that I'd meet him by the vending machines at lunch."  
  
"You have a brother at this school?" Sloan raised her eyebrows. "How old is he?"  
  
"He's a junior." Sarah replied. "His name's David. Do you know him?"  
  
"Nope," Sloan shook her head. "But I'm a junior, too. I'll probably see him some time or other."  
  
"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "'Bye!"  
  
Jack, Sloan, and Spencer waved goodbye to Sarah. Jack was disappointed that she wouldn't be coming to lunch with them; she was by far the most interesting person Jack had met so far this year. After lunch, Jack came back to school, was tardy for his E period, and fell asleep in his G period. When school ended, Jack gathered his things, then headed off to work with Spencer.  
  
Jack and Spencer were two of the many paperboys that delivered newspapers to the news-hungry people of Eastward. Every morning and afternoon, Jack would head on over to the Local News print press, where he'd pick up the newly issued and bound papers. Then, he would pedal down the route that he shared with several of his friends, delivering the newspapers and competing to be the first one to complete all his stops.  
  
It was a good job. It didn't pay much, but Jack had been a paperboy since he was barely ten, and he was too lazy to part with tradition.  
~  
"Yo Blinky, what's wrong with your bike?" Ryan Higgins asked as he walked over to where Kyle "Kid Blink" Diamond was standing.  
  
"The brakes aren't working, and I don't know why." Kyle said, scratching his head.  
  
"Hmm…" Ryan stood and observed the bike for a while, too. Then, he shrugged. "I dunno what's wrong with it, either. Don't worry, you've been doing this job for years. Don't tell me you actually have to BRAKE to make your throw hit target."  
  
"No." Kyle shrugged. "But my dad's gonna be pissed, and he'll tell me that I haven't been taking care of my things properly."  
  
"Hey guys," Mike "Mush" Fernatti walked up.  
  
"Hey Mike," Kyle and Ryan greeted.  
  
"Have you guys seen the new kid?" Mike asked.  
  
"No…where is he?" Kyle asked with interest. It was always fun to have a new paperboy around. Kyle, along with the rest of the paperboys, enjoyed pulling pranks on new paperboys.  
  
"Over there." Mike said. "See the kid with curly hair talking to Weasel?"  
  
"Yeah." Kyle nodded as he spotted the new kid, talking to Weasel. Kyle could only assume that the little kid by his side was his little brother. Then he, Mike, and Ryan watched as Weasel, the distribution center manager, handed the boy a stack of newspapers.  
  
"Wait…" the boy said as he flipped through them. "I thought I had twenty deliveries on my route? You've only given me nineteen papers."  
  
Kyle, Ryan, and Mike raised their eyebrows at each other. Whenever a client didn't receive a newspaper, the paperboy who'd failed to deliver it was punished by having his wage for that week usurped by Weasel. Kyle knew that sometimes Weasel purposely gave someone one paper less, so that he could have their wage. All the experienced paperboys knew how to deal with it when something like it happened.  
  
"I said I gave you twenty." Weasel crossed his arms across his chest. "Are you calling me a liar?"  
  
"No…but…" the new boy was at a loss for words, and Kyle felt sorry for him.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" Jack Kelly stepped forward then. If there was a leader of the paperboys, then Jack was it. He was the one with the most experience among them, he was also one of the oldest. Jack was the only one who knew how to deal effectively with Weasel.  
  
"He only gave me nineteen papers, and I have twenty on my route." The new boy told Jack. Jack took the stack of papers and thumbed through them.  
  
"He's right. There's only nineteen." Jack said. "But don't worry Weasel, no one's pointing fingers. I know Oscar there can't count if his life depended on it." At this all the paperboys laughed, and Oscar DeLancey, one of Weasel's assistants, glared at Jack resentfully. Weasel grudgingly handed over the one paper that was owed to the new boy.  
  
"Thanks." The new boy said gratefully.  
  
"Only twenty? Nah," Jack shook his head. "Give him another route Weasel, make it a full fifty deliveries a day." Weasel shrugged and handed the new boy a map of his other route, along with a stack of thirty newspapers. Then, Jack led the new boy to where the rest of the paperboys were sitting.  
  
"Fifty? This is my first day on the job! I can't deliver all fifty!" The new boy was protesting.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Jack patted the new boy on the back. Kyle was mildly surprised. Jack was the best paperboy around, and proud of it. He didn't usually lend his help to other paperboys. "What do you say…we split the wages, seventy-thirty."  
  
"No…it has to be at least fifty-fifty." The new boy responded.  
  
"Sixty-forty, and that's my final offer." Jack crossed his arms across his chest. "Look, I'm the best paperboy around here. I deliver about one hundred each shift. You deliver with me, you deliver with the best. I'll teach you ways to hurry up your delivery, make friends with your clients so you get big tips…it's a real bargain at sixty-forty."  
  
"Real bargain." Kyle nodded at the new kid. He felt slightly jealous that he had never received such special treatment.  
  
"You heard Kyle there," Jack shrugged. "So, do you want it?"  
  
The new boy glanced around suspiciously at the rest of the paperboys, who were all nodding approval. Then he held out his hand. Jack shook it. "So what's your name? I'm Jack Kelly."  
  
"My name's Les Jacobs!" The new boy's little brother cried eagerly. "And this is my brother, David. He's older."  
  
"No, really!" Jack raised his eyebrows. "C'mon Les, Davey, let's make the deliveries." And with that, Jack made his way to the bike rack. 


End file.
